The present invention relates to a dispensing device for tablets of the type that are toxic to humans and which therefore require extreme care in dispensing in an environment.
In the field of rodent control, a number of proposals have originated which call for the periodic dispensing of a plurality of pellets of a toxic substance over a well-defined geographic area. One such substance is Phostoxin, a trademark of Degesch GmbH, and which is a hydrogen phosphide material which when contacted with atmospheric moisture results in the generation of phosgene gas which is highly toxic.
In the fumigation of areas infested with rodents, it has been the practice to inject the toxic substance directly into the burrows of the rodents. However, this presents certain problems to a fumigator which it is the object of the present invention to overcome.
Specifically, it is necessary that the dispensing mechanism permit the fumigator to inject the toxic substance directly into the burrows without the fumigator coming into direct contact with the toxic substance. Further, for environmental reasons, it is necessary that the correct amount of the toxic substance be delivered to the burrow.
These objects are obtained by the dispensing device of the present invention which, in a preferred embodiment, enables the fumigator to inject exactly the desired number of tablets directly into a rodent burrow without the fumigator contacting the toxic substance.
In summary, the present invention provides a dispensing device including a container support member having an opening at one end on which a container for the toxic tablets can be sealingly mounted so as to load an interior chamber which has a bottom wall on which is mounted a dispensing star wheel which is rotatable by an external handle and which will deliver a single tablet at a time to a dispensing channel which extends externally of the container support member. The dispensing channel may be connected to a length of flexible hose which can be inserted by the user into a rodent burrow in such a manner so that gravity will effect accurate dispensing of one or more tablets, as desired, into the burrow. The container support member includes means for securely and sealingly mounting the container on the container support member so that the fumigator need never come into direct contact with the tablets.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as consideration is given to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: